(no subject)
Title: The Creature from Cardiff Bay
Author: stevwil
Disclaimer: They're not mine. I'm just playing with them.
Rating: R for language
Characters: Jack/Ianto, Tosh, Owen, Gwen
Summary: More fun with alien stuff!
A/N: There is some light Gwen bashing. I'll apologize in advance but you have been warned. See the note at the end of the story if you want to know the genesis of the story. This was truly never meant to be written.
“Oh, you have got to fucking be kidding me!” Ianto's voice echoed across the Hub.
Stepping through the medical bay door, Toshiko Sato asked, “What did you find?”
Sitting at his workstation reviewing CCTV footage of the Hub, he held up a hand, visibly fighting to get himself under control with obviously mixed results. After a moment he said through gritted teeth. “I've had a shit night, a shit morning and I get here only to find that Gwen Bloody Cooper has knocked my boyfriend in the head and dragged him off!”
“What?!” Tosh exclaimed incredulously.
Rolling his chair back to make room for Tosh he said, “See for yourself.”
Backing the film up, they both watched in silence.
“Oh my!” Tosh said, eyes round with shock.
* * * *
Ianto Jones was not having a good day. The evening before a pipe had burst in his flat and instead of a pleasant evening in bed with his lover he'd spent hours cleaning up. Jack had been first called away to chase down a weevil and then kept away by another alert. Tired and out of sorts, he'd stopped at his regular cleaners on is way to work to pick up his dry cleaning only to find that they'd lost his favorite suit, or more precisely Jack's favorite suit. Arriving at the tourist office, he'd quickly opened it and was going down into the Hub proper when Tosh had shown up.
The brilliant computer programmer had been in London at a 2 day electronic securities seminar. Her train had arrived late last night and after a good nights sleep, she was ready to use some of her newly honed skills to upgrade the Hubs security systems. Finding an irate and unusually verbose Ianto, she listened to him rant stifling the occasional urge to giggle. She enjoyed his rare talkative moods.
“...And then they tried to tell me they'd temporarily misplaced it. Temporarily misplaced my arse. They lost my favorite suit!”
Eyes twinkling but her grin firmly suppressed, Tosh said “ Surely they'll find it.”
“They'd better-oh, shit.” Ianto exclaimed, heart skipping a beat, looking around the Hub. Tables and chairs were turned over. Owen's work station was smashed. Papers and miscellaneous items were strewn about. The last time they had found the Hub a mess Jack had disappeared with the Doctor, leaving them all to wonder when or if he was coming back.
“Oh, no!” Tosh cried, turning her attention from Ianto the wreckage in the Hub.
“Jack? Jack!” Ianto shouted, telling himself that Jack had came back for him, that he wouldn't leave again. As much as he believed it, knew it, there was the tiniest bit of doubt that he couldn't quite suppress. He didn't know if he could do this again.
“Jack? Owen? Gwen?” Tosh called, looking around.
Ianto rushed to Jack's office, finding it untouched but empty.
“Ianto! Here!” Tosh shouted.
Running back out of the office, he saw her kneeling by an overturned table.
“It's Owen. Help me.”
“Is he...?” Ianto asked as he reached her, heaving the table off of the still form.
Checking his pulse with the tip of one delicate finger, she answered “He's breathing. Looks like he took a nasty bump to the head.”
“Owen? Owen? Can you hear me? What happened?” Ianto asked, kneeling by the doctor and shaking him, his fear under control for the moment.
Owen mumbled something incomprehensible.
“Help me get him to the medical bay.” When Ianto hesitated, Tosh said more firmly, “Now Ianto.”
Ianto picked the smaller man up, heaving him over his shoulder. Grunting with the effort he said, “Get the door.”
Tosh hurried ahead of him, opening the medical bay door. “What were they doing in here?” She asked. It was a mess as well.
Ianto gave a quick look around and he staggered down the steps and a dumped Owen unceremoniously onto a gurney. “I don't know. They've definitely been up to something.”
Tosh shoved Owen around trying to make him more comfortable. He groaned and feebly batted at her hands. “Stop it, Owen. I'm trying to help.”
“See what you can do with him. I'm going to check CCTV and see if I can figure out what happened.” Ianto said, striding up the stairs and out the door.
Ignoring the mess he went straight to his workstation. Checking it for damage and finding it unharmed, he quickly pulled up the recent security footage for the Hub and couldn't believe what he found. He watched the screen, dumfounded.
On the screen the door to the medical bay burst open and Jack came flying through, knocking over a table. Gwen staggered out after him, something obviously wrong with her. Her skin looked...wrong. She appeared to have some sort of rash with a greenish cast to it and her movements alternated between rapid and frantic and a shuffling walk, not at all like her normal self. She bellowed as Jack staggered to his feet. Palms up, he tried to calm her and she swung at him again striking him in the head and sending him flying into Owen's workstation where he lay unmoving. Owen rushed out of the medical bay and shouted something at her. She shrieked and turned on him. He fumbled for what looked like a syringe and tried to stab her with it but she struck at him. He dodged the first blow but the second one caught him in the chest, sending him flying head first into the table that Ianto had pulled off of him.
Gwen then turned and shuffled over to Jack's prone form. She bent down and picked him up in a single jerky motion and carried him off towards the basement. Ianto checked the other cameras and finally found one showing her carrying the unconscious or worse Jack into the tunnels that lead towards the bay.
* * * *
“I'm going to shoot her.” Ianto said matter of factly, pulling open the bottom drawer of his desk, reaching for his gun. “I'm going to track her down and shoot her.”
“You can't shoot Gwen.” Tosh said, slightly horrified.
“Watch me. I can shoot anyone I want.” Ianto was not amused.
“Teaboy... isn't going to... shoot anyone.” Owen said from the door, clutching at the frame trying to keep from losing his balance.
“Owen!” Tosh cried running to him. Helping to steady him she asked, “Are you okay?”
“What happened?” Ianto asked at the same time, getting to his feet.
“Get me... a chair... you wanker.”
Ianto grabbed an office chair, rolling it to Owen and Tosh helped him set down.
Groaning, Owen clutched at his side. “I think she may have cracked a rib or two when she hit me.”
“I'll get you some water,” Tosh said bustling off.
“Make it a scotch!” Owen called after her.
“What happened?” Ianto repeated, his patience at an end.
“Here,” Tosh said, hurrying back with a glass of water and a bottle of scotch.
Ignoring the water, Owen twisted the cap off the bottle and took a swig. “There was an early rift alert. Jack, Gwen and I were here so we went to investigate.”
* * * *
“What is it?” Gwen asked looking at the black metal box partially sunken in the sandy shore. It was open at the top like a crate and had a series of overlapping circles running from top to bottom on each side. It was overflowing with what appeared to be alien tech or alien garbage. It was hard to tell which.
“I don't know. The only energy readings I'm picking up are residual.” Owen slowly moved the scanner back and forth over the crate.
“I think I've seen this before. The design looks Fomalhaut but I'm not positive.” Jack said, after kneeling and inspecting it.
“Fomalhaut?” Gwen asked.
Standing, he replied “Think 4 foot tall bipedal amphibians. I spent about two hours on one of their ships once. They're reasonably friendly but I was in a hurry.” Turning his attention to Owen, he asked. “No life signs?”
“No. Looks like more bloody alien junk.”
Pulling on a pair of heavy leather gloves, Jack said, “Good. Let's get it boxed up and back to the Hub. Ianto can start cataloging it this afternoon.”
“Watch out, Owen.” Gwen said, playfully bumping the medic with her hip as she bent and reached for a long, cylindrical object.
“Sweetheart, if I were you I'd put on some gloves before handling that stuff. No telling where that's been.”
“Good point,” she replied, pausing mid-reach.
“Here you go,” Jack said, tossing her a pair of gloves.
Reaching to catch them she over extended and stumbled, losing her balance. Instinctively flinging out her hands to catch herself Gwen cried out as she landed in the sand next to the crate, “Fuck!”
“Careful. You alright?” Jack asked, reaching a hand for her.
“That's what you get for playing around, love.” Owen said, shaking his head.
“Jack?” Gwen asked getting to her feet and holding her left hand out slowly. “I think I fucked up.” There was what appeared to be a small syringe with the overlapping circle design running down the side, needle sticking out of the palm of her hand.
“Bollocks,” Owen said, his usually sarcastic demeanor gone.
Pausing momentarily, Jack said, “It's going to be okay. Gwen, keep calm. Owen, we're going to get her back to the Hub and find out what that is.”
“Oh, God. Oh, fuck. Jack, it's burning.” She tried flexing her fingers but the muscles in her hand contracted, claw-like. “Get it out! Get it out!”
“It's okay, love. I'll get it now. Slowly, take a deep breath...” Owen said soothingly.
“Damn it!” Gwen yelped as he yanked the needle out in one quick motion, dropping it into a small metal box.
“Get her into the SUV. Let me grab what I can of this stuff. We can't leave it here,” Jack said tossing the objects laying around the crate back into it and lifting it by the edges.
“Jesus! Be careful! I don't need to treat both of you.” Owen said helping Gwen into the back seat of the SUV and sliding in behind her.
“Am I going to be okay?” Gwen asked, pale and shaking, as she flexed her hand open and closed.
“You're going to be fine. Owen will have you good as new in no time.” Jack tossed the crate of artifacts into the back of the vehicle and slid into the driver's seat. “Hold on.”
“That bloody boyfriend of yours just about killed us twice driving back here. That bastard needs to remember that the rest of us stay dead.”
Making it back to the Hub in record time, the two men ushered Gwen from the underground car park into the medical bay. Owen grabbed his instruments as Jack helped her onto a gurney.
“Owen?” Jack said, nodding to Gwen's left hand and arm. Her hand had contracted, giving it a claw-like appearance and a greenish rash was spreading from it up her forearm.
“Oh shit! What's happening to me?!”” Gwen shouted holding her hand up and staring out it.
“Calm down, Gwen. It's going to be okay. That's it. Deep breaths. You're going to be fine. Tell her, Owen. She's going to be fine isn't she?”
Owen started to say something, saw the hard look in Jack's eyes, and thought better of it. “You're going to be fine, Gwen.”
“See. You're going to be fine. Owen's going to take care of you.” Reaching up, he touched her cheek with the back of his hand. “She's burning up.”
Owen stepped up to her right side and gave her an injection. “Gwen, love, this will help you relax. I'm going to run some tests we'll see what we can do.”
“Please...” She said, as she drifted off.
“Is she going to be okay?” Jack asked anxiously.
“I don't know, Jack. Just stay out of my way for a few minutes. I need to draw some blood and analyze both it and whatever is left in that alien syringe.”
“Okay. I shouldn't have tossed her those gloves.”
“Don't be a wanker. We don't have time for that now.” Owen said heartlessly. “She was in one of her playful moods. You know how she gets. It was an accident. Leave it at that.”
Obviously unconvinced, Jack replied, “Okay. What can I do to help?”
“For now just let me do my work.”
Jack pulled up a chair and sat next to the feverish woman murmuring words of encouragement. “You're going to be just fine. I know you are. Owen will be able to fix it.”
She lay fitfully, tossing and turning. He took her uninjured hand it his, holding it, trying to reassure her through both words and touch.
“Ianto's going to have a fit if he catches you holding her hand.”
“Don't give me that look. We all know more than we really want about what you two get up to when the rest of us aren't around. I've taken to wiping down my desk and chair in the mornings just in case. Anyway, I've seen you watching Gwen watch Jack. I'm not mental.
Brow furrowed Jack asked, “Do you need something?”
Could you lay some of this stuff out on the table over there?” Owen asked, indicating the alien crate.
Reluctantly, he let go of Gwen's hand and stood. “Yeah. Any idea what any of this is?”
“This is only a guess but I think it may be medical waste. Gwen was jabbed with something that is for all intents and purposes a dirty needle. Some of the other artifacts you grabbed appear to be medical in nature as well.”
“Hmmm,” Jack said, carefully starting to lay the items out one by one.
“See?” Owen said indicating an oblong object Jack had just laid out. “That looks like some sort of scalpel and those look like sealed containers for medicine or whatever they have that passes for blood.
Turning to look at the normally acerbic medic, Jack asked in a subdued tone, “Are you going to be able to help her?”
“Honestly?” Jack nodded and Owen continued in a low voice, “ I won't know until I know what I'm dealing with. I'll have to see the results of her blood test and the chemical analysis of the liquid.”
Gwen's fitful sleep became more agitated. She started to moan and thrash, setting bolt upright on the gurney.
“Gwen! Calm down!” Jack said, rushing to her side. Looking over his shoulder at Owen, he asked in a quieter voice, “What happening?”
Reaching her side, Owen felt her cheek and checked her pulse at the wrist. “She's burning up and her heart is racing. She's burning the sedative out of her system.”
She swung her legs to the side and tried to stand. “Let... me... up...”
“Gwen, honey, you've got to stay in bed-” Jack was interrupted as she stood and shoved him away with one clawed hand.
“Jack get... out of... my way...” she groaned, staggering towards the stairs.
“A little help here, Owen.” Jack said moving to intercept her.
Fumbling with a hypodermic needle, he filled it with a clear liquid from a small bottle. “One second.”
Gwen tried pushing past Jack, making her way up the stairs to the door. “Move!” she howled.
He back up the steps, keeping himself between her and the door. “ I can't let you out of here Gwen. We're trying to help you.”
“Aaaargh!” she screamed, bending at the waste, clutching her stomach with one hand and the hand rail with the other to keep her balance. The rash was rapidly spreading. It was on her neck now and moving onto her face. With a frantic burst of speed she lunged at Jack, knocking him through the door into the main area of the Hub.
“I followed and tried to sedate her but she was too strong. She tagged me.” Owen finished.
“We saw the rest. Can we find them?” Ianto asked.
“I may be able to track Jack's wrist band. It's got a unique energy signature.” Tosh answered.
Raising and eyebrow Ianto asked, “Does he know you can do that?”
“May be able to do that.” She corrected moving to her workstation and quickly checking to see if everything was still in working order. “ And no, I've never mentioned the possibility.”
Smiling faintly he replied, “We don't necessarily have to tell him that unless he asks.”
Groaning as he levered himself to his feet, Owen said, “The analysis of her blood should be complete now. I'm going to take a look at it and get a stronger sedative. You'll need it.”
“I'll put on some coffee and get tranquilizer guns from the armory. Best to stay out of arm's reach if she can hit that hard.”
Twenty minutes later the three teammates gathered in the medical bay. “I've got Gwen's blood chemistry and I think I can help her if we can get her back here.” Owen said, fidgeting as he tried to get comfortable in a chair. “Fucking ribs...” he muttered to himself before continuing. “Jack said that he thought the markings on the crate looked like something from an amphibious race, I think he called them Fomalhaut or something like that, and she was jabbed with a used syringe. My best guess is that it contained some sort of vaccine.”
Grimacing, Tosh said, “That's not nice.”
Ianto just pursed his lips but said nothing.
“No, it's not but I can fix that if we can get her back here fast enough. She's basically having an allergic reaction to it. Her adrenaline levels and heart rate are elevated which accounts for her strength and delirium. The greenish rash is basically hives and she's half out of her mind with pain. She doesn't really know what she's doing. It's not dangerous yet but if she goes untreated for too long there could be some permanent damage. I think a cocktail of antibiotics and a high dosage of an antihistamine should sort her out for the most part.”
Shaking his head, Ianto said incredulously, “So let me get this right. This is all because she needs some penicillin and a Bennadryl? I'm still going to shoot her.”
“No you won't,” Tosh said touching his arm soothingly.
“Knock it off, teaboy. It's a little more complicated than that,” the medic snorted.
Ianto gave Owen a steely look. “I shot you didn't I?”
Owen stared at him coldly saying, “Basically, we treat the symptoms and I think she'll be fine.”
Ignoring the stare, Ianto asked, “Can we go now?”
“Here's the ammo for the tranq gun. It's loaded with enough sedative to drop an elephant so don't fuck up and shoot yourself with it. You'll be out until next week.”
“I can track them with the hand scanner,” Tosh said. “I can't get a precise location from here but the closer we get, the more accurate it will be.”
“Good enough. Take this and grab whatever else you think you'll need,” Ianto said handing her one of the tranquilizer guns.
“I'm no good chasing through the tunnels with these ribs. Get her back here as soon as possible and I'll be ready to dose her.”
Rapidly tossing a few odds and ends into a pack Tosh asked, “Should we let Rhys know something's wrong with Gwen?”
“Christ no! I don't want him underfoot!” Owen answered glaring at her.
“He's her fiance. I thought maybe he should know...”
“Owen's right even if it pains me to admit it.”
“Piss off.”
Ignoring the acerbic medic, Ianto continued, “There's nothing he could do to help. We'll get him after we find them if need be. Ready?”
Not looking convinced, she nevertheless answered, “Let's go.”
“We'll start in the sub-basement where I last saw them on CCTV,” Ianto said heading to the stairwell, taking the lead as Tosh fell into step next to him.
* * * *
“Urgh,” Jack groaned. Pain stabbed through his head as he opened his eyes and quickly shut them again.
“Ouch,” he mumbled to himself. “Better think twice about that.”
He tried to reach for his aching head and realized he couldn't move. He was laying on his side and wrapped in something heavy and cold, chains maybe. Gingerly, he slitted his eyes open. It was very dark but the barest hint of light coming from above allowed him to make out his surroundings.
He was in a cold, wet tunnel wrapped in rusty chains. He could hear the sounds of the bay in the distance, faint but unmistakeable. He wished he could say this was the worst place he'd ever woken up but in all honesty, it wasn't even a close second.
Thinking aloud he asked,“How did I-?” Interrupting his own question he answered himself, “Gwen.”
He tried in vain to wiggle free but the chains were too tight. Using the tunnel wall for support, he twisted his legs and inched his way into a sitting position. Gasping, he leaned against the wall and looked around. A faint ray of light was coming from a grate high above but there was no way to climb to it even if he could get free. His best bet would be to follow the sounds of the bay out to the water and make his way back to the Hub from there if he could get loose.
“Gwen? Honey? Are you there?” he called. “We can help you. We need to go see Owen. He'll make you better.”
Waiting for a response, he heard nothing, “Gwen?”
After a long moment he said, “Well fuck!”
“They'll come for you soon.”
Jack twisted towards the voice, pain lancing through his head with the sudden movement. “Owww!”
“Careful.”
“Why am I not surprised? I don't suppose you'd want to help out here, would you?” he asked the familiar shadowy figure standing in the tunnel.
Chuckling, the dark man answered, “You'll be free soon enough.”
“That's what I thought. How about telling me who you are then?”
“Not now. You really should be more careful.”
“Yeah, well recklessness is part of my charm.”
“So I gather. I'm going away for awhile but we'll meet again.”
“Oh, I'm counting the seconds.” Jack said, sounding more like Owen than himself.
Chuckling again the dark man said, “Don't let him hurt her too much. It really isn't her fault. Goodbye for now.”
Watching the man fade into the darkness Jack shouted, “C'mon! Really?! You're just going to leave me here?” After a moment, shaking his head he muttered, “Jack ass.”
A low moaning and the sounds of shuffling feet caught his attention. Peering into the darkness in the opposite direction, he called, “Gwen?”
* * * *
“God, this place is nasty,” Tosh said, wrinkling her nose as she and Ianto made their way through the dark, damp tunnels leading away from the Hub. They'd been making their way through the tunnels for hours.
“I hadn't noticed,” Ianto murmured pointing his light at his feet, taking in his ruined shoes and shaking his head. “Easy come, easy go,” he muttered.
“Ianto are you okay?” Tosh asked softly.
Sighing, he replied, “Now or in general?”
“Both.”
“Once we retrieve Jack and Gwen and this cocked up day is over I'll be fine. Thanks for asking.” The barest hint of a smile touched his lips in the near darkness of the tunnel.
“And in general?” The pretty woman prompted, concern in her voice.
“Most days I'm good. Jack... well Jack is Jack. I love him but I don't know how long I'll have him. I try not to dwell on it.”
“I hadn't really thought about that.”
“I have, probably too much. The last two years have been...” shuddering, he continued, “both terrible and wonderful. Canary Wharf and losing Lisa were awful and then finding Jack was... Then he left and it all came crashing down.”
“Oh Ianto. We... I should have been there for you. I'm so sorry.”
“It's okay. Jack leaving forced me to find myself again. If he hadn't gone, he would have been my crutch and I doubt we'd be where we are now.”
“Are you happy?”
“I am.” He said it like it was almost a surprise even to himself.
“I'm glad.”
“Owen was right about one thing though.”
“What?”
“I do watch Gwen watching Jack. He's a flirt but I trust him. I'm not so sure about her though.”
“Ianto!”
“Well I don't. She drug Jack off, not Owen. I may shoot her for good measure.” His gleaming smile was visible even in the dim light.
Tosh giggled. “Well, we all know about her and Owen.”
“Are you okay with that?”
“I don't have a choice,” Tosh said, some of the laughter draining from her voice. “Owen and I will never be. As much as I want it in my heart, I know it my head that it'll never happen.”
“I wish it were different.”
“So do I. Besides, it's not like it worked out with her and Owen.” Pausing briefly she continued, “Truthfully, if you want to shoot her just a little bit I'll swear it was an accident.” Her silvery laugh echoed faintly down the tunnel.
They winced in unison at the echo. “We'd best get back to it. Are we getting close?”
Nodding, Tosh checked her scanner. “We're definitely closer. Jack's ahead and slightly to the right. I'd say we're within a quarter of a mile but there's no way to really tell with the way these tunnels twist and turn.”
“Good. We need to end this soon.”
They made their way in silence through to dark tunnels, stopping to listen but other than the faint sounds of the city from above and the occasional squeaking of a rat they heard nothing but the sound of their own breathing. Coming to a small 4 way intersection Tosh paused, adjusting her scanner.
“We want to go down and to the left. We're close now.”
Holding up a hand Ianto cocked his head and listened. “I think I can hear the water from that direction. The bay must be close.”
Switching her scanner to her left hand, Tosh pulled her tranquilizer gun and nodded to Ianto. Leaving his tranq gun in his belt, he drew his standard service revolver. Tosh's eyes widened and she stifled a giggle as he moved past her, taking the lead.
Looking over his shoulder, he smiled and said, “Better to be safe than sorry.”
Shaking her head she followed the younger man into the darkness. They made their way slowly, quietly down the tunnel. As Ianto started to hear indistinct voices, he stopped putting his finger to his lips to indicate they needed remain silent. Tosh nodded in acknowledgment and they continued.
Reaching a sharp bend in the tunnel, Ianto could make out Jack's voice. Stopping, he and Tosh listened for a moment, assessing the situation.
“Gwen, honey, you need to let me go. We need to go back and get you some help,” Jack said in his most soothing tones.
An indistinct growl turned into a caricature of Gwen's voice. “Arrrggh... not... going... nngghhh... back”
“Honey, we've got to. You're not well.”
“No! Arrggh... No!”
“Gwen, let me go. Now.” Jack's voice held a hint of steel.
“No, no, no! Mine...nnghh!”
Mouthing “Enough is enough,” Ianto indicated to Tosh that he was moving around the corner. At her nod of assent he stepped around with her at his side, pistols in one hand and torches in the other. In the torchlight they saw Gwen in tattered, wet clothing standing over Jack, who was wrapped in rusting chains. Gwen whipped her head towards them, throwing up one clawed hand to shield her eyes from the light. Her arm and face were covered in a flaking rash with a pronounced greenish tinge. Her eyes were large and dark as she tried to protect them from the light.
“Jack, are you okay?” Ianto shouted.
“I'm fine. Just hanging out here.”
“Aaaarrrggghhhh! Noooo!” Gwen screamed, grabbing Jack by the chains and trying to drag him away towards the bay.
Ianto paused and took aim, “Gwen stop!”
Jack shouted, “No Ianto! Don't shoot her!”
Tosh shouted, “Don't!”
Ianto and Tosh fired simultaneously, his bullet whistling past Gwen's ear causing her to scream and drop the struggling Jack and Tosh's dart striking her in the back. Clawing at the dart she tried to run, taking four stumbling steps before collapsing to the tunnel floor.
Both Ianto and Tosh held their stances momentarily before Jack said, “Well, don't just stand there. Get me out of here!”
* * * *
“Is she going to be okay?” Jack asked as Owen walked into kitchen.
“She's responding well to the treatment. The rash has started to clear and her fever has broken.” Owen said taking the cup of coffee that Ianto handed him.
After freeing Jack, they'd made their way down the tunnel with an unconscious Gwen to the bay. They emerged half a mile from the Hub and contacted Owen whom had arrived shortly with the SUV. He'd administered the first round of antibiotics as they drove back to the Hub. After restraining her in the medical bay for further treatment Jack, Ianto and Tosh had waited in the kitchen for news from Owen.
“Can we see her?” Jack asked.
“Give it a bit. She's a little self-conscious right now. The rash was drying her skin out, that's why she headed towards the bay. I'm treating that too. There shouldn't be any long-term damage.”
“Hmph,” Ianto said. “I suppose that's a good thing.”
“What do you mean? Of course it is.” Jack said, eyeing his lover.
Smiling quietly Tosh sat back, coffee mug in both hands and watched the scene unfold.
“Tea boy here was planning on shooting her.”
Jack's eyebrows shot up as he looked to Ianto for an explanation.
Shrugging sheepishly he said, “I was a little... put out to find that she'd knocked you in the head and carried you off. I wouldn't have shot her. Not much anyway.”
Staring directly into his lover's eyes he saw the truth of the statement; Ianto wouldn't have shot her much. Shaking his head and smiling a crooked smile, he asked, “Jealous?”
“I've always had trouble sharing, sir.”
Laughing, Jack turned his attention to the rest of the team. “Are we done for the night?”
“I'm going to stay here to monitor Gwen,” Owen said.
“Good. Tosh would mind calling Rhys to make excuses. I'd do it but I think he's a little put off by me.”
“I can do that. If she's not up to going home tomorrow can he come and see her?”
“Yes. Ianto, do you mind if we stay here tonight? I don't want to be too far away just in case anything else goes wrong?”
Raising an eyebrow the young Welshman sighed, “That's fine Jack.”
“Now see here. You two keep yourselves away from me. I don't want to see any of what you normally get up to around here.” Owen said, alarm evident in his voice. “Got that?”
Jack laughed as he stood and headed towards his office with Ianto following a step behind.
“I'm serious! Jack! I mean it!” Owen shouted at their backs, hands on his hips, as they walked away.
Tosh's silvery peal of delight was a counterpoint to Jack's hearty laughter as she went to contact Rhys leaving Owen standing alone muttering obscenities.
A/N 2: This came about one Saturday afternoon when I was cleaning and doing laundry. I'd had some TW on in the background and decided that I'd had enough of Gwen and Jack's longing looks (I believe I may have mentioned a time or two that all of the eye-fucking gets on my last nerve) and ended up watching The Creature from the Black Lagoon while folding laundry. In a fit of bitchiness (I have them occasionally but try to keep them under control), I promptly nick named the creature Gwen and spent about 5 minutes trying to decide if I could write an A/U based on it. Then I spent about 5 minutes trying to decide if I could write a cannon based story on it and put it away. Fast forward 2 weeks and I was corresponding with a friend (I'm talking about you, Dxxx) and jokingly referenced it. I was 15 minutes early for work the next morning and ended up outlining it in a notebook in my car before going it. I truly never meant to write it. But it was fun:)